The Girl Next Door
by Bojack727
Summary: With Yotsuba having started school, Koiwai becomes more aware of the other people around him- especially a certain girl living next door. Things really get interesting when Fuuka appears to tell him something important. Koiwai/Fuuka. Please Read & Review!
1. Chapter 1

After reading the _**"Yotsuba&"**_ manga, I noticed a number of incidents that subtly hinted at a possible future relationship between Mr. Koiwai and Fuuka. There's just so many things to like about Fuuka (including the fact that she's such a cutie!) Anyway, I'd like to say that I was inspired to write this after reading **Elle Rita's** excellent Fuuka/Koiwai stories.

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**THE GIRL NEXT DOOR**

**Part 1**

It wasn't like his life had ever been 'normal', especially after a certain strange girl ended up becoming his daughter. But things really took a turn for the surreal after they'd moved in next door to the Ayase residence. While moving in, his daughter had wondered off somewhere- though that wasn't unusual for her. No, the interesting part came when he first met _her._

Despite being only sixteen, the girl (Fuuka) was surprisingly level-headed and reasonable. Much more so than he'd been when he was that age. He even went so far as to suggest to Yotsuba that she should try to follow Fuuka's example.

Yotsuba had quickly enamored herself to the Ayase family (both the mother and the girls), making friends with the three girls- despite being much younger than all of them. Koiwai noted how much the relationships differed from sister to sister.

Ena, the youngest (and most 'typical') of three, was the closest to what could be called a 'friend' when it came to Yotsuba. Asagi, who was the eldest of the three, seemed to fancy herself as some sort of quasi-mother figure to Yotsuba. The problem with this was that she had something of a mean streak to her that she let show occasionally (usually through some petty act).

But when he thought about it, it was the middle daughter, Fuuka, who seemed to be the best suited to coping with Yotsuba. It was hard to explain, but there was just something about her that made him think she could be a good 'mother' for Yotsuba. Unfortunately, this realization led to another (much more shocking) realization... Did he like Fuuka _in that way?_

If this was true, he wondered when had things first changed...? When had had she become more than just the girl next door? And more importantly, what did this say about him? Did this mean he was one of _them_- was he a 'perv'?

He was suddenly pulled from his thought when Yotsuba bolted into the room to play. He paused at his computer and turned to look at her for a moment, flashing a smile as she gave him one of her usual eccentric greeting. The green-haired girl had been his focus for so long that he couldn't recall the last time he'd given any serious thought to romance. And now it seemed that his first romantic inkling in years were about a girl that was almost ten years younger than him!

**.o.o.o.**

Some time later, on weekend, Koiwai was surprised to see Fuuka at his door. She'd come to drop off the weakly circulars, but was surprised to find Yotsuba absent from the scene. After being briefly admonished by the girl (for not knowing where his daughter was), Koiwai had invited her to stick around. His now seven-year-old daughter would most likely make an appearance any time now and would, no doubt, be glad to see Fuuka.

Being the nice polite girl that she was, Fuuka had politely accepted his invitation. As they ventured inside, Koiwai silently wondered about something... There were numerous occasions he could recall where Fuuka hadn't even batted an eye at the notion of coming inside the house with him. He knew she was a smart girl, so the only answer he could come up with was that she trusted him to never try any thing 'funny' with her (or at the very least, she viewed him as such a non-threat to her virtue that it was no big deal.) Either way, he didn't know what to make of it.

Koiwai asked if she was thirsty and offered to get some tea ready. Fuuka had graciously accepted, but quickly realized that he wasn't as apt to the task as he thought himself to be. So, the teen had joined him in the kitchen. "Honestly Koiwai-San, you have to be more diligent about these sorts of things." She remarked with a small smile. "If you don't prepare this correctly, it'll come out tasting bitter." She explained in a knowing tone.

As he listened to the eighteen year old berate him, he found himself smiling slightly. As an adult, he should have been offended by how candid she was behaving. Instead, he found it rather charming- she was so calm and cool-headed... not at all like he was at that age. After a moment, the short-haired girl smiled warmly. "You're a dad, so you need to be able to do these things- you have set a good example for your daughter." She pointed out in a gentle tone.

Fuuka suddenly had to fight back the blush that threatened to color her face. As she was finishing the kettle of 'Mandarin Spice', she became aware of something that she'd never even thought about before... She was in Koiwai-San's kitchen, making pot of tea for the two of them like it was no be deal, like they were... _a couple?_ The blush surfaced, turning her cheeks a faint pink color. She turned to face the dark-haired man. "...The tea... i-it's ready now." She managed.

It was strange... Fuuka had never been so 'aware' of Koiwai. It was like a vibe that he gave off- it wasn't like any other adult she'd been around. After all, if she was honest with herself... she'd always thought he was rather handsome in his own way. And, despite him being a father, he wasn't _that _old. And like that, it struck her- just like the gap in their ages, the gap between the two of them suddenly seemed a lot smaller...

**.o.o.o.**

_Yotsuba still hadn't shown up... They weren't worried yet, but if she didn't show up at some point, they might actually have to go looking for her!_

Koiwai and Fuuka were now in the living room of the house. They were sitting cross-legged at either end of a low square-shaped table, both of them calmly sipping hot tea from their cups. Koiwai discreetly regarded the girl sitting across from him...

Fuuka wasn't like most of the younger girls he'd encountered in recent years- and that included her older sister, Asagi. Instead of fawning over the attractive brunet like a fool, he'd unknowingly gravitated towards dark-haired middle sister. Fuuka wasn't as glamorous or as eye-catching as her sister. Instead, there seemed to be a softness and natural cuteness to her. The way she smiled, her bright expressive eyes, her energy... it was all part of her appeal.

He suddenly glanced away when he realized that she'd noticed him looking at her. Fuuka merely smiled vibrantly at him and took a sip from her cup, before placing it down on the table. Koiwai composed himself and turned to face her again. "You know, Yotsuba really enjoys spending time with you. You coming around here means a lot... to both of us." He remarked with a smile. "Still, there must be other places you'd rather be, other people you'd rather spend your time with?"

Fuuka shook her head and smiled. "It's really no problem- I like spending time with you guys. Yotsuba is a lot of fun and…" She paused, blushing slightly. "…And well, you're pretty cool too." She admitted in sheepish tone.

Her last remark caused him to chuckle slight. He smiled back at her as he set his cup down. "I'm glad you think so…" He began. "Yotsuba's still a kid, so she'd easy to impress… But eventually, she'll get the age where I'm just a bother to her." He admitted with a faint smile. "The older she gets, the more aware I become of how just how much things are changing."

Koiwai sighed as he continued. "I just hope that she'll have managed to make some friends of her own… closer to her age." He remarked. "Your sister Ena is a wonderful kid, but she's growing up and I can't expect her to keep hanging out with my daughter- she's still in primary school, but Ena- she'll be in junior high before we know it."

Fuuka nodded knowingly. "I know what you mean; my dad will be tears when it happens." She remarked in a wistful tone, capped off by a feint chuckle. "But don't worry Koiwai-san, I'll still be around- I won't outgrow hanging out with Yotsuba." She offered him reassuringly with a smile.

Koiwai was silent for a moment, and then looked at her. "Thanks Fuuka, that means a lot… more than you may even realize." He replied. "But what about you, what are you going to do after high school?" He asked in a friendly tone.

She shook her head and picked her cup back up. "It's funny you should ask that… I've been asking myself the same thing recently." She answered. "To be honest, I'm not really sure… Still, when I think about it, I guess it was the uncertainty that scared me." She admitted. "At the time, it felt easier to just focus on the present… But you're right, I really should give more thought to it."

Koiwai nodded understandingly. "I can understand- I didn't grow up with dreams of being a translator… But maybe I can help you do a little better than I did." He remarked with a smile. "You know, I was thinking about how good you are with kids… Have you though about becoming a teacher?"

Fuuka perked up at this. "Me? You really think I could do that?" She asked, an eager smile appearing on her face. She'd never really thought about it, but she really did enjoy interacting with kids… and she trusted Koiwai-san's opinion.

He nodded, brushing a hand through his hair. "Absolutely, I've seen your skills first hand." He replied with a grin. "Trust me, if you can handle Yotsuba and still have fun while doing it, then you could handle anything."

Silence fell between them and Fuuka felt herself blush. "Koiwai-san, t-there's something I w-want to talk with you about." She began. He became silent as he waited for her to continue. "I'm aware of how I come across to most people… But even though I'm young and awkward, I want you to know my feeling…"

Koiwai felt himself start to sweat as he listened to her. He had a vague idea as to what she was getting at, but it was too absurd to even consider. _No, she couldn't possibly…_

She swallowed nervously. "You see, Koiwai-san, I l—" Her words were abruptly interrupted by the sound of someone noisily entering the house. The two of them whirled around to see the familiar green-haired figure of Yotsuba burst into the room.

The embarrassed expressions on their faces failed to register with the child as she rushed over to where they were seated. "Dad! Fuuka-chan!" She exclaimed as she practically leapt at Fuuka. The teen rapidly composed herself in time to catch the girl in her arms and return her embrace.

Koiwai felt his shoulders slump as Fuuka hugged his daughter…

**(- To Be Continued -)**

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As I mentioned at the start, Elle Rita's stories were a big inspiration to me, so there may be a few similarities here and there. They're hard to avoid, since her stories were up first and- in many ways- set the standard for those to come. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this.

-Bojack727


	2. Chapter 2

I'm very flattered by the responses that I received for the first chapter. The first chapter was a lot of fun, so I was eager to get a second out. This chapter picks up where the last one left off, so expect a fair amount of Koiwai/Fuuka content.

I'd like to give props to Elle Rita (and her stories) for inspiring me to write one of my own. And I'd like to say thanks to Valaju66 and the anonymous reader for their reviews.

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**THE GIRL NEXT DOOR  
**

**Part 2**

Just when it seemed as if Fuuka was about to tell Koiwai something rather important, Yotsuba (who was now seven) burst into the living room and derailed their conversation like the good little non-sequitur she was.

Still, as galling as all this had been, Koiwai liked to think he'd handled it pretty well- all things considered... He'd managed to keep his bewilderment and mild frustration to himself and shifted the focus onto the green-haired girl. "Well, it looks like you've been having fun?"

The girl became wide-eyed as she turned to him, still hanging onto Fuuka (who was only faintly blushing by this point). "Daddy, this neighborhood is amazing- there's so many places to explore!" She exclaimed happily as she cast her arms up for emphasis. "It's like a big forest- except for the parts that aren't like that... But otherwise..."

He smiled as he listened to Yotsuba, covertly glancing at Fuuka. To the girl's credit, she'd adapted to the child's sudden arrival much better than he would have at her age. She'd demonstrated a degree of coping skill that even Koiwai himself had to concede to... And he'd raised the kid!

And so, while this whole ordeal had been frustrating, he had to admit that when he looked at the eighteen year old girl interacting with his daughter... Well, the interplay between the two of them seemed to come naturally to Fuuka, almost as if it were second nature to her.

Eventually, he managed to shrug off the whole affair all together and fell back into a more familiar 'role'- that of Yotsuba's dad. If nothing else, he was certainly adaptive... One had to be when it came to parenting- especially with a kid as strange as his! And yet, while he marveled at her abilities, he still wondered if she was experiencing something similar to what he felt at the moment...

**.o.o.o.**

Fuuka had eventually returned home without incident... which frustrated the girl to no end. She had finally mustered the courage to talk to Koiwai-san about her feelings. But, like usual, things didn't go according to plan.

She plopped down on her bed and sighed audibly as she looked up at the ceiling. She mused over the events of the day, wondering how in spite of things, it still felt like nothing had changed between them. After she got tired of looking at the light fixture, she cast her gaze to the side and noted an upturned paper cup on her desk.

She blushed and averted her eyes from it, recalling when her older sister had walked in on her 'conversation' with Koiwai-san two years ago. She sat up (propping herself up on her hands) and looked at it again. She shook her head when she realized that the thing had somehow managed to remain there all this time... Her socks touched down on the floor as she got to her feet and looked at her nearby clock- the digital display confirming that it was early evening.

Fuuka walked over to her desk and picked up the string-phone. A small smile played across her face as she looked at it, dusting it off a bit as she held it up. She suddenly found herself wishing that the thing was still 'linked up'. She sighed and set it back down on her desk, wondering if the other cup was still were she remembered it being... in Koiwai-san's office.

Impulsively, she slid her window open and looked outside. There was light coming from the open window. She opened her desk and took out an old ball of red string (from an old school project) and walked over to retrieve one of her plush dolls from her shelf. The girl failed to register just how familiar the thing was as she looked at it. She the glanced out the window with a determined expression.

**.o.o.o.**

Koiwai was at his computer (working on an assignment) when something sailed through his open window. He got up and looked down where it had landed. It was a strange looking (though oddly familiar) stuffed animal- somewhat cat-like, yet not.

He noted the red thread and the paper cup attached to it. His eyes followed the red line up out the windowsill and beyond- through the window across from him. He felt himself sweat when he realized what was going on. Koiwai quickly undid the line and held the paper cup up to his mouth. "Um…Hello?" He asked, somewhat nervously.

He was initially met with silence, but then a nervous-sounding voice spoke up came through the impromptu phone. _"Koiwai-san, can you hear me?"_

He sat down on the floor. "Yeah, I can hear you Fuuka… What's up?" He asked, slipping into a more relaxed tone with her. Back in her room, the girl in question was sitting against the wall (under the open window) with the cup held to her ear.

"_Earlier, when we were interrupted… I had wanted to talk to you about something- something important…"_

Koiwai shook his head and put the phone up to his mouth. "Fuuka, I'm not so sure if string phones are the best way to do this…" He offered, though this sort of thing really should have been par for the course by this point.

"_It's easier this way... I'm not sure if I could say this in person." _The girl replied, her tone guarded as she spoke. The dark-haired man felt himself sweat as he listened to the voice on the other end. _"I- I like you, Koiwai-san... And not just as a friend."_

There was a pause, and he was tempted to say something- but he decided to allow the conversation to play out naturally._"And __I'm sorry if this makes things weird between us, but I just couldn't keep this bottled up any more."_

He smiled and slumped back against the wall. "Fuuka, don't worry. It's alright... And, actually, there's something I need to tell you as well..."

**.o.o.o.**

_About a month later…_

Fuuka rode home and secured her bicycle outside, before opening the front door and venturing inside. She paused and looked at her mom, sitting at the couch, quietly reading a magazine. "Hi mom." She spoke with a smile.

The older short-haired woman glanced up, noting her middle daughter's cheerful demeanor. She set the magazine down and smiled at the teen. "So, how was your day?" He asked in her usual calm tone.

Fuuka paused and smiled. "Oh it went well," She replied cheerfully. "There's a lot going on, so it's pretty exciting right now. Anyway, I'll be in my room if you need me." She then made her way upstairs. Mrs. Ayase remained seated and watched impassively as her daughter practically flew up the staircase.

She then turned to the kitchen, just in time to see Asagi emerge (with an orange popsicle in her hand). The attractive brunette stopped and looked at her mother. "Well, Fuuka certainly's in a good mood." She observed as she unwrapped the popsicle.

Mrs. Ayase regarded her eldest daughter for moment, sighing inwardly as she saw herself reflected in the girl (more than she cared to admit). "Yes, she is... isn't she?" She replied idly, while noting that Asagi was now nursing the popsicle in her mouth. She looked at her daughter for a moment. "...Asagi, whose popsicle is that?"

**(End of Part 2)**

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The characters are a lot of fun to write for, and the relationships are very natural. Though I'm not sure if I got Yotsuba quite right- she's a hard character to write (as you can imagine). I'm only really getting started with this, so you should expect to see another chapter in the near future. And as always, feedback is welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get this chapter out. I agonized for some time over what I was going to do next in the story. However, I suddenly found myself inspired to finish this chapter when I received a review from the extremely talented **Elle Rita**. (It was such a total fanboy moment for me when I saw the review!) Anyway, I hope you guys will like this.

I'd also like to thank knifestick, Sapphirebloo, Liber-T.E.A., Catalog Cats, flamingbunnies, and emerlyluff for taking the time to leave reviews and let me know what you all thought about this. Thank you all, so much!

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**THE GIRL NEXT DOOR**

**Part 3**

Life is hardly ever a simple affair... It has a tendency to bring about the unexpected. And when this happens, it's often best to simply just go along with whatever life throws your way. Case in point, Koiwai had never planned to adopt a young child after graduating. Yet here he was, the parent of a seven year old girl at the age of twenty-seven!

Not that he regretted having Yotsuba in his life, quite the opposite in fact. And of course, it wasn't as if the curve-balls that life had thrown him were all bad. Much like how the mysterious little girl had been thrust upon him, something else had been thrust upon- and fairly recently as well! To his amazement, Fuuka had- in a roundabout way- confessed her feelings to him. And while he didn't know what this said about him, he'd replied with a similarly vague admission of his own.

He was a grown man, well into his 20s while Fuuka was only 18. While he was relatively settled in life, she was a third year in high school and still planning her future. She was cute and energetic- often brimming with enthusiasm. So it came as a surprise to the translator when the dark-haired girl (with the cute eyebrows) had revealed her feelings to him... Fuuka Ayase _liked_ him!

And, if he was perfectly honest... he liked her as well. In theory at least, there wasn't anything all that wrong with said arrangement. And yet he knew full well that there was no way that either of them could let anyone know about any of this... Well, not yet anyway.

Koiwai stopped typing and leaned back to regard his work for a moment. He silently wondered what anyone would think about about it. He knew that it wasn't something he could talk to with Jumbo- and he sure as hell had no intention of discussing it with Yanda! And then of course, there was the Ayases to consider as well. While he wasn't really scared of reprisal, he reasoned that it was best that they not know about it for the time being.

And so, here he was... Stumped as to what to do now that the initial confession phase of things was over. What happened now? What possibly could be the next step in a situation like this? There were so many factors to contend with! Koiwai rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling that after his musings, he'd been left with more questions than answers.

**...o.o.o...**

Fuuka had departed from her house as night was falling, with the intention of stopping off at the nearby convenience store to get some energy drinks. She was busy studying for her finals and her college entrance exams and wanted to stay alert and focused as much as possible.

By chance, she'd spotted Koiwai outside (taking out the trash) and waved him over to her. Thankfully, he'd put on a pair of pants before going outside. The middle Ayase daughter had then effectively _strong-armed_ him into walking with her (or 'escorting her', as she put it.) Fuuka was dressed in her school-issue running suite, a navy blue out with with gold trim.

"Um, I'm not really complaining... but could explain to me why you need me to come with you?" He asked as they walked down the street.

Fuuka smirked. "I'd think it was obvious." She began. "It's dark out, so it's clearly far too dangerous for a defenseless girl like me to be walking by myself- some pervert might grab me!" She explained somewhat melodramatically... considering that they lived in a good neighborhood.

Koiwai shook his head as they walked. "You know, Fuuka..." He began. "You sound awfully certain, but how can you be so sure that you can trust me?" He asked her. "I mean, you never know when a guy could turn out to be a wolf." He reasoned.

She looked up at him. "Are you a wolf, Koiwai-san?"

He blushed faintly at her question. "No, of course not! I'm just saying-"

"That's all I needed to hear." She replied with a smile. "This may surprise you, but I'm not completely clueless when it comes to those sort of things." Fuuka continued. "And I don't spend time with you because I'm naive... I do it because I know you're not that sort of man."

"Wow... Then does that mean that you really do think of me as your _boyfriend_?" He asked, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, her cheeks turning a cute pink color as she blushed. "You dummy! Don't ask such a dumb question!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe that you'd tease me like that, especially when you already know my feelings!" She chastised him.

"I'm sorry..." Koiwai replied nervously. "I guess I can't help it sometimes because you always have such a cute reaction." He added, giving her a bashful smile.

Fuuka crossed her arms and huffed, her lower lips jutting out slightly as she pouted. Though the result ended up being more cute than indignant. The two of them continued on for a moment, but Koiwai stopped when he suddenly felt her tug at his t-shirt sleeve.

Koiwai turned to look at her. The translator observed that she now had a fairly serious expression on her face. "Fuuka...?"

Fuuka looked at him intently for a moment. "Koiwai-san, do you really think I'm... cute?" She asked, a tinge of uncertainty in her voice.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Absolutely."

**...o.o.o...**

Fuuka and Koiwai were making their way back down the street from the Circle K. Fuuka was carrying her energy drinks in a convenience store bag. The two had remained relatively silent after leaving the store. About halfway back, the teen stopped and looked up at him.

Koiwai stopped and glanced down at her. She suddenly reached up and put hand on the side of his head, just behind his ear, and pulled him down towards her. But what really shocked him happened right after this- she moved in and kissed him on the cheek! Then, just as abruptly as she'd done it, she let go of him and pulled back.

Fuuka stepped back and, while still blushing, gave him a big smile. "I'll go on ahead and, then you can show up a few minutes later." She explained to him. "After all, we don't want to look too suspicious." She offered, giving him a small wave before taking off on her own.

He reached up to feel his cheek where she'd kissed him. Koiwai blushed faintly as he thought about it , while as she disappeared. "Wow..."

Koiwai walked back into his house, trying to compose himself as he shut the door. He straightened himself up as he attempted to shake off his confusion. It was then he suddenly recalled his 'wolf' exchange with the young woman, his mind starting to wonder...

"_Oh my, Koiwai-san, what big teeth you have?"_

"Aw man... No no no!" He muttered to himself, trying to rid himself of the image of the unnervingly tantalizing image of Fuuka in a red hooded-cloak. With that, Koiwai quickly raced off to go look over his translating work...

**...o.o.o...**

Meanwhile, next door in the Ayase Household, Fuuka arrived in her room. She closed the door and slipped off her school running suite

Fuuka paused and looked at herself in the mirror. She put her hands on her hips and inspected her figure for a moment. She made a face at her reflection, then crossed her arms- pushing her breasts up slightly in the process. The dark-haired girl then looked down at her hips and legs for a moment, deciding that they looked fine- certainly not fat by any means!

Satisfied with her observations, Fuuka quickly took out a pair of (green and blue plaid) pajamas and changed into them. She then took a seat at her desk. She became silent for a moment as she sat, before a smile slowly graced her features...

Fuuka smiled to herself as she opened one of her energy drinks. While she'd never openly admit it to anyone, the teen had secretly taken a lot of pleasure from the shocked expression Koiwai had when she'd left him. Perhaps now she'd given him something to think about for the next time when he considered teasing her!

**(- End of Part 3 -)**

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Sorry that this chapter ended up being a bit on the short side, but I wanted to get a new chapter out after so much time. Still, it was hard coming up with new things to write after the confession, but I still think this chapter ended up turning out alright. I hope you guys enjoyed this, and I'll try and have a new (and hopefully longer) chapter up sooner.

_-Bojack727_


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